Dry Shampoo Update

I can now report that dry shampoo is great to use to get rid of the grease and allow you to skip a shampoo or two! I am now back to washing my hair every other day because using dry shampoo on my bangs fluffs them up and you can't tell my hair is a little stale. (Oh, it smells nice too!). I love this stuff. The picture is my proof.

Yes, it's bright outside (it's before 8 on the 4th of July!). Since we were getting up early, I took the opportunity to try out not washing my hair and using some dry shampoo instead. As you can see, my bangs don't look oily at all! Yay! Also, this is typical of Chris and me in the morning. I'm all energetic and squinty and he is sad and sleepy.

Sephora - for commitment phobics

A lot more money has been leaving our toiletry budget since Sephora came to Santa Barbara. I stayed away at first, committed to my drug store makeup finds and knowing that once I started I wouldn't be able to stop. And...it's true. That place is unbelievable (if still a little intimidating). I don't buy much makeup there - I get my Bare Minerals foundations from their online program and I still stick with some drug store stuff but since starting to shop there I have had some great finds. I typically shop through their website - if you buy more than $75 at a time there's free shipping - and here's the best part...you can return items to the store...after you've tried them for a while! This has been a lifesaver because the products at Sephora tend to be pretty expensive and I could never take the leap if I didn't know that I could take it back if it didn't work.

So far, I have utilized their return policy quite frequently. Here's my example: I bought ghd Fat Hair Lotion For All-Over Volume (my new hair cut needs a boost sometimes) after reading all the hype on the online description. Seriously, this stuff was going to revolutionize my hair. Sephora promised that it would "increase body and texture and a ceramide-derived complex adds volume and shine while protecting against stress caused by chemical processes. It also acts as a smoother for the cuticles and improves cell cohesion along the hair shaft. " The description also mentioned polymers at some point...I have no idea what those are, but I was impressed. So, I ordered it online along with a couple of other products (including the Bare Escentuals Get Started Eyes set - more about that in a later post). I was so excited for it to arrive, imagining what magic those little polymers would have on my limp locks. I followed the directions after washing my hair and waited for the miracle to occur while blow-drying and... kept waiting. No miracles, not even a noticeable change in texture or volume. What the ??? My drugstore Garnier Fructis mousse worked better than that crap.

So....I returned it to the store, completely guilt free and bought Frédéric Fekkai - Full Volume Mousse for Fine or Limp Hair and I love it (I just discovered when searching for the right name of the product online that they have a TON of other things I want to try too). The mouse gives the right amount of texture so that I can get some more volume and style hold and a little goes a long ways. Perfect!

Anyway, the point of all this is that Sephora's return policy makes it easier to invest in quality products that really deliver. Oh, and don't forget that you get three free samples with every purchase!!

Dry Shampoo!

Ever since I got side-sweepy bangs cut this spring, I've had some hair dilemmas. First of all - side swept bangs are not always swept to the side. Typically there are some rebellious chunks trying to hang over my eyebrow and creeping toward my eye. I'm not so good at ignoring this and although I've been perfecting the hair flip move that returns my bangs to their rightful place by the end of the day I usually have some obviously greasy strands from touching my hair all day. This new development has forced me to abandon my schedule of washing my hair every other day (and has caused me to lose some time in the mornings) so that I can be grease-free but I recently made a discovery that has helped alleviate the problem some.

Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo is amazing! I came across some reviews on makeupalley.com (great place to read up on products before spending your hard earned cash) and decided to buy their $10 1 oz bottle and give it a try. According to the description on sephora.com, it's supposed to "Refresh, revive and recharge hair and scalp without water. Pronto is perfect for use between washings, in a rush, as a midday hair pick-me-up, or when you overdose on a styling product."

Basically it's a little like baby powder and you just squeeze a tiny amount on your roots where it's greasy (I end up having to coat part of my bangs) and then rub it in. It's a little scary at first because it's a white powder and it's hard to believe that you won't be left with a gray tinge. However, it blends in and really does absorb the oil and kind of fluff the area. I haven't tried it for when I "overdose on a styling product" but I can't imagine it working on anything other than if you put too much gloss or shine serum on. Anyway, this has been fantastic for putting on right before we go out to dinner or after a long car ride when we're about to see family (can you tell we've been traveling lately?). I haven't tried it as a substitute for a full shampoo but I might get brave soon. Either way, I'm no longer ashamed of my greasy-obviously-not-broken-in bangs!

White Pants

I never thought I would wear white pants. I never thought I'd WANT to wear white pants. I've never in my life owned a pair of khaki pants that I wore more than once, so white pants would be pretty dramatic for me. I'm pretty pear shaped so the whole thing used to seem like a very bad idea but this summer I couldn't stop feeling like I was ready. So - the search began.

Initially, I was very encouraged by my white pants expedition. I found a pair that I thought looked amazing in Ann Taylor Loft (which I purchased on my "chris is away so I will play" shopping spree") and proceeded to buy tops to go along with my trendy new pants. However, when Chris got home and I showed off my new discovery his reaction was less than enthusiastic. Now, he's a sweet guy who is very sensitve to my self-esteem, but he's also very committed to honesty - so the tell-tale negative reaction from him is "Huh, ok" or just silence and sad eyes. Seriously. When I finally pressured him into explaining what he hated about the pants he quietly said "they make your legs look...um...enormous." (Or at least that's what I heard. He probably said "they make your legs look slightly larger than they are"). Then I took a good look in the mirror and discovered that he was right! What happened to my slimming Ann Taylor Loft white slacks? They had become this:

Well, not actually these pants, but that's how they looked on me, except worse. I was mortified and was immediately convinced that the mirrors in Ann Taylor Loft should not be trusted (I still hold that opinion).

I rushed to return the heinous pants and proceeded to order three different pairs online (I knew I'd return the ones that didn't work, I'm not ridiculous.) And the winner?

Martin Refined Cuffed Chino in Tall by Banana Republic. They are all that Ann Taylor Loft's white pants seemed to be in the store, but are actually flattering! What made the difference? Well - the B.R. pants are just straight legged enough to be slimming but just bootcut enough so that you still have legs in there. For some reason, they work with my hips and I love them for that.

New pants (especially in a new color) are great because they completely expands your wardrobe! The rust-colored top I'm wearing today looks completely different with white pants than it did with my normal brown slacks (I guess less halloween-y too).

Yay for white pants (except that I'm now a little paranoid about getting too close to anything that might make them dirty! Chris wasn't paying attention to how he repacked our bag for our weekend trip and put his shoes soles down right on top of them! AHHHH)! By the way - the losers were different pairs of white pants from Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft. Apparently white pants are not their specialty. At least for girls who got back.

Learning How to Dress Like a Grown-Up

I feel blessed to currently have a relatively high powered job. I go to a lot of meetings and sometimes my opinions even mean something (rarely, actually....it's been a hard day so far). It's fun to feel like a grown-up, a real career woman. The one problem is that I'm still trying to figure out how to dress like one. Frankly, I look my age - and considering that it's a good 40 years off of most of the people I meet with, that doesn't give me a lot of credibility. So - my latest project is learning to dress, well...older.

What I should look like is to the left.

This has not been an easy task. I still gravitate towards younger pieces, with the idea of "Oh, I can wear that relaxing on Saturdays...oh, and I can probably make it work for my job too!" I end up with a lot of glorified t-shirt and black pants combinations and it's not working. I recently cleaned out my overstuffed side of the closet and ended up donating a good 3 garbage bags worth of old clothes that I haven't been wearing or that, let's be honest, I shouldn't be wearing. When Chris left for a 5 day bachelor party earlier in June (yes, it was ridiculously long), I took the opportunity to go shopping for some age and position appropriate outfits. I did...alright. I spent a lot of time at Ann Taylor Loft and Banana Republic but still only came away with one suit jacket and too many not as fancy tops. I am starting to lean more on the side of "Oh, I can wear that to work and look cute in it with jeans on Saturday" but it's been hard. I still bought two t-shirts that I have refused to return because I look how cute they are...even if I really shouldn't wear them to work (although...I have worn each already). Plus, I want to be able to look older and professional, but also still look like myself. Is being young such a bad thing??

What I actually look like is to the right (on a good day. It's cute, but young looking. I just don't like wearing suits all the time).

The other problem? When you live in Santa Barbara and are trying to look respectable at meetings with, I don't know, multi-millionaires, it gets pricey. We already have a pretty sizable clothing budget which I definitely went over last month in an attempt to look the part. Where's the balance? Since I work at a non-profit, I feel like I should get away with not looking "the part" but I am also meeting with donors who want to see in how I dress that I respect them and that we aren't a shabby place. Bottom line: I need a raise to afford my expanding work wardrobe!

Up next: The trials and tribulations of finding the perfect pair of white pants.